Team USA Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley has made some new selections to his leadership team.
He announced that two-time Ryder Cup player Brandt Snedeker will be the next vice-captain. The veteran has had a productive two weeks, as the tour announced last week that Snedeker was the 2024 Payne Stewart Award winner.
It’s another strong choice from the inaugural captain, who named Webb Simpson first vice-captain last month. This latest move signals that the U.S. is undergoing an overhaul of its Ryder Cup selections.
Bradley isn’t trying to do things the traditional way when it comes to his leadership team, but let’s be honest, that’s what the U.S. national team needs. This team has been doing the same thing for years, but the 2023 Ryder Cup showed it was past time for a change.
“As I began preparing for the 2025 Ryder Cup, I quickly realized that Brunt was someone I wanted by my side,” Bradley said in a press release. “As a two-time Ryder Cup participant, including a stellar individual performance in 2016, Brunt’s experience and insight will undoubtedly be beneficial to our team in the coming months.”
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Snedeker has never been an alternate captain before, but his demeanor makes him a perfect fit for the role. Bradley chose experience, but in a different way, and that’s commendable.
He wasn’t kidding when he said at the Ryder Cup press conference that he would reassess the vice-captaincy.
But so far, Bradley has been picked two out of two times.
Snedeker has nine PGA Tour wins and played on two different Ryder Cup teams in 2012 and 2016. He also played on the 2013 Presidents Cup winning team.
The veteran has a 4-2-0 record in Ryder Cup matches, including a 3-0-0 record in 2016 at Hazeltine National as Team USA defeated Team Europe, 17-11. Snedeker was the only American to go undefeated that week.
“The Ryder Cup is unique in our sport and I am passionate and proud to help realize Keegan’s vision of what the Ryder Cup should be in New York,” Snedeker said.
“I am delighted to serve alongside my good friend Webb and will do everything in my power to help Keegan and the players prepare for a great tournament at Bethpage Black next September.”
He’s been around the Tour for many years and will have ideas about what this team should be like, and at 46 years old, he brings wisdom and experience to the leadership team without seeming biased.
The U.S. national team needs something fresh, and so far, Bradley has continued to provide just that.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
